


Tale of Rebirth

by nonsensebearer



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Gen, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-01 19:45:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5218469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonsensebearer/pseuds/nonsensebearer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>* You called out, but nobody answered.</p><p>Tale of Rebirth is a KHR AU where Tsuna, like Frisk, journeys through the Underground after falling through an unexpected gape in Death Mountain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fallen Down

**Author's Note:**

> Well here it is, Chapter 1. I've been excited to work on this AU ever since my friends Kris and Ramsey brought up the idea and started filling in the cast members. With a bit of other cast revisions from other friends, we've ended up with a pretty solid list of KHR characters taking the place of Undertale characters for this plot cross-over. Who plays who will be revealed as you read each new chapter, but for now, enjoy guessing!
> 
> If you haven't watched an Undertale LP or haven't played it yourself, I would suggest doing so first before you read this. The fic follows very close to the game's True Pacifist run and so heavy game spoilers will be appearing in later chapters. You can buy the game from the website or off of Steam! http://undertale.com/
> 
> A big thanks to anyone who's decided to give this fic a read! ♥ Chapter 2 should be out sometime this week.

     You woke up from a dream about an ancient war between monsters and humans, and you had no idea where it came from. You hadn’t listened to bed time stories since you were six, and the video games you played with Lambo and the others had nothing to do with a plot like that. When you rose from your bed, wiping the sleepiness from your eyes, you thought about how realistic the entire dream felt– like you were watching something straight out of a textbook, from some ancient history that hadn’t been remembered in ages.  
  
     It left you feeling unsettled when you dragged yourself out from the covers to get ready for school. You felt the need to tell Gokudera and Yamamoto about the dream when they gathered around, but for some reason you felt it too strange to mention. Even as Reborn lead you through the trees atop Death Mountain for training, the dream meddled with your feelings and prevented you from saying anything. You were so caught up in your turmoil that you hadn’t even noticed you’d climbed higher than you had every other day, and the baby walking ahead of you didn’t look like he was going to stop any time soon.  
  
     “Eh…?”  
  
     “What’s the matter, Tsuna?”  
  
     Blinking a few times to make sure you were awake and aware, you swept around the area to see if you could find anywhere you recognized. Not a single cliff nor set of trees nor expansive view of the valley below gave you any feeling of familiarity.  
  
     “Uh… Where are we going?”  
  
     “There’s a place near the top of the mountain that I’d like you to see. We’re almost there, so keep up.”  
  
     You weren’t entirely satisfied with that answer, but this was Reborn, and there were a lot of things he did that you weren’t satisfied with.  
  
     “What’s bothering you?”  
  
     “Huh?” You realized you sounded pretty dumb repeating the same clueless sounds over and over.  
  
     “You’ve been distracted by something ever since this morning. What is it?”  
  
     “….” Always count on Reborn to know exactly how you’re feeling. You were glad he caught on and asked himself, or else you might’ve never gotten it off your chest. “Well… I had this dream last night… that was kinda like a story book. It told me about monsters and humans fighting in a war, and when the humans won, they locked the monsters underground. … I don’t know why, but it felt kinda.. …. _Real_.” You felt your lips tug into a slight frown at how weird that all sounded.  
  
     “Stupid Tsuna, a dream is just a dream.” The hitman replied in a heartbeat. “It can’t be real if nothing like that ever happened before.”  
  
     “Yeah…” You sighed. He’s right; a dream is just a dream.  
  
     But why did you still feel so unsettled? Your hyper intuition was never wrong before.  
  
     You continued on a little further up the mountain as you scrambled through your thoughts to find something to say. Truthfully, you were still too distracted with feeling like something _isn’t right_ to do anything more than fiddle with the good luck charm in your pocket. You didn’t even realize that what Reborn was leading you to was a gigantic hole, so wide that you weren’t sure if the mountain wasn’t a _mountain_ but a _volcano_ – and you just stopped yourself short of a disaster when your foot stopped moving right as it hit a tree root snaking sneakily out of the dirt. You peered in curiously, about to ask your tutor why you came to a place like this, when you felt a tiny shoe against your back.  
  
     “It’s time for a history lesson, No-Good Tsuna.” He kicked off your shoulder and you felt yourself falling long before the dreaded knots tie in your stomach over the feeling of falling through a mountain.  
  
     “ _HIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiii—!!!_ ” Your screams are likely heard less and less the further down you fall, and you seriously wondered if you were going to survive this fall in one piece– _if_ you survive at all. You couldn't even move your arms enough to find your Dying Will pills, and you wished with all your might that you could use your Dying Will on your own–  
  
_Splat._  
     Face-first into a patch of golden flowers.  
  
     You got a mouthful of dirt along with a shock of pain throughout your entire body, and it took a second before you could even grumble out in pain. _Reborn is the worst_ , you thought to yourself, as you took your time pulling yourself off of the ground. You spluttered out the dirt with a gross amount of spitting, but at least you got most of the taste out.  
  
     By the time you sat up and took in your surroundings, you were more confused than you ever were before. Before you was a path leading further under the mountain, looking like it was carved out to be walked through, which was unnatural considering this was the _bottom of a mountain_.  
  
     “Reborn!” You called out, but nobody answered. You tilted your head upwards to see the sky above you, looking a lot smaller than it usually did, fitting into the circle created by the mountain’s edges. “Reboooorn!” You hoped your voice would echo enough to be heard, but not a single bit of movement could be seen. What’s worse, as you searched through your pockets, you realized begrudgingly that your Dying Will pills weren’t even with you.  
  
     You began to recall what’s been said about this mountain… _no one really makes it out of this mountain alive_ , thus the name, Death Mountain. You felt more than a bit of unease and an involuntary shudder as you tried your hardest not to look for any skeletons in your surroundings.  
  
     Feeling utterly creeped out, you stood up, and ran (as well as you could with your aching body) out of the lighted clearing and into the darkened tunnel. Reborn wasn’t anywhere near you and there was nothing left for you here. All you could do was keep moving forward.


	2. Your Best Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> * ...............  
> * .... Haha.  
> * Ahahaha.  
> * You just want to see me suffer, don't you?  
> * How cruel of you.  
> * DIE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is here! I'm going to try to post a new chapter every Friday, but it may be inconsistent as school projects love sneaking up on me. Starting with this chapter onward I'll have to really AU some of the Undertale basics to fit KHR more, such as the use of flames instead of... Friendliness pellets. :)  
> I found out I have a lot more to think about that I thought I did, so if any of those rules change as I go along, I'll be sure to update the chapter and leave a note in the newest one.
> 
> Anyway, thank you to those of you who take the time to read this fic! ♥ I appreciate it very much. See you next week!

     You passed through a stone archway etched into the mountain and fumbled through pitch darkness, your footing a bit unsure over the uneven ground. You stumbled along as quickly as you could (you're not really fond of the dark at all) until you saw another patch of light, with golden flowers growing in abundance within that small area. You walked closer, a little comforted by the smell and look of the flowers, but as soon as you stepped within inches of the light circle, a bright shine caused you to squint. From somewhere within the stream of light, the flapping of wings sent a few loose feathers drifting peacefully towards the flower petals. You didn't even have to see the person to know who this was.  
  
     What shone so bright was the reflection off those white clothes, that white hair, those glimmering wings. The distinct purple tattoo under his left eye confirmed your suspicions, and you felt dread consume you whole. That smiling face was just as haunting as ever.  
  
     "Yo. ~♫"  
  
     "Byakuran!!" Your feeling of hopelessness doubled when you realized a second time that you didn't have your flames to protect yourself. _Where was Reborn when you needed him--?_  
  
     "Hm? How do you know my name, little one? You've ruined my introduction." Despite his disheartened words, the smile hadn't left once. This couldn't be anyone else _but_ Byakuran.  
  
     "What are you talking about?! If you're trying to pull something..." It doesn't take you long to stop talking, because you know the more you provoke him the faster you'll end up in a deadly fight. To no surprise, he let out a healthy laugh.  
  
     "Well, aren't you adorable? I'll try again, but stay quiet this time, alright?" He cleared his throat pointedly. "Yo! ~♪ I'm Byakuran, but most people know me as FLOWEY." Hearing 'Flowey' immediately made you think of flowers, and you recalled some of the flower-related squad names within the Millefiore, which in itself had meant a thousand flowers. Seems like a reasonable nickname for this guy.  
  
     "Hmmm... You're new to the Underground, aren't you? You don't look so well." You shook the expression of doom off your face, at which he gave another laugh.  
  
     "U-Underground? Is that what this place is called?"  
  
     "Yyyup! Since you're a human and all, you likely don't know how things work around here, right? Let me show you!"  
  
     His hand raised upwards, and then a snap of his fingers brought a sudden burst of flame all around you. You were shocked into flinching until you realized that these flames weren't harming you-- these were your very own Sky flames, emitting rather wildly from your being. You weren't in control of these flames, however- for a reason unknown, all they did was burn. You couldn't use them to fly, attack, or protect yourself.  
  
     "Well, this is your life line, your energy, or your soul, if you will. If this flame goes out, it's game over, so make sure to keep it lit! You can do that by absorbing other flames. That's called LV, also known as Love! I'm a pretty generous guy for a flower, so I'll give you some of mine, okay? You ready?" On either side of his floating figure were eight small clusters of flame illuminated, none larger than a ping-pong ball, though they had shone as bright as those wings. "Catch!"  
  
     A wave of his finger sent them straight towards you. You weren't fooled by his sweet talk, not when you knew of the monstrosities this Byakuran could cause. You waited until close to the last second before you dodgerolled pretty ungracefully out of the way.  
  
     "......."  
  
     The eyes that had been closed with his smile opened to reveal the burning amethyst beneath. As you worked to stand up, you could feel the animosity that contradicted eerily with his grin. "What's the matter? You missed them." Eight more flames flickered into existence. "Surely you need some more _love_ in your life, hm?" You felt a small sting at that comment, but you wouldn't let it get to you; those flames were anything _but_ kind. You dodged them again, a little less painfully this time.  
  
     "...............  
  
     ".... Haha.  
  
     "Ahahaha."  
  
     His laughter was a happy-sounding chirp tinged with strong disgust. "You just want to see me suffer, don't you? How cruel of you."  
  
     "... Byakuran. I don't know what you're doing here, but whatever you're doing, I _will_ stop you." Despite your shaking, you know in your heart with the flames that surround you that you won't lose no matter what he pulls. His laughter only grew, head tilted backwards with his shoulders shaking and his arms crossed, truly _amused_ by what you've said.  
  
     "Oh, you're funny! You talk big for someone who can't even use his flames!" His hand covered his face as if to cease the laughter, and as it dwindled into nothing, those vibrant purple hues were revealed once more through those slender, pale fingers. You could feel them staring through your soul.  
  
      " _ **Die.**_ "  
  
     A circle of flame appeared around you then, your flightless self without an escape route. You felt the fear creep back into you as you let out another signature screech, covering your head with your hands and crouching as if that might somehow protect you. _This is it. This is the end. I'm gonna die in this mountain all alone..._  
  
     You were likely being over dramatic, but without Reborn by your side, no way to control these flames no matter how hard you believed, and no time to think of any other options, you found it difficult to think positively.  
  
     "-- _Guagh!_ "  
  
**_\----!_**  
  
     You heard a collision with the mountain walls over the shout. Your head shot up to see what happened, and you noticed the flames disappeared-- and Byakuran was no longer in front of you, but falling from the stone he'd been thrown so harshly into, large, cracked rocks breaking off as he went.  
  
     "What a terrible creature, bullying the weak like that."  
  
     "Eh...?" You've heard that voice somewhere before, in some distant memory. It took a bit of searching through to place it, but after seeing the unique red locks of hair, you understood immediately. It was someone who was supposed to be dead for centuries, only seen in flashbacks, now suddenly standing before you, defending you from the enemy you could do nothing against. Your face looked like it'd seen a ghost.  
  
     "Do not be afraid, little one. My name is Cozart. I'm the caretaker of these Ruins." Your eyes softened with relief, and you almost felt like crying. This was the trusted friend of the very first Vongola boss, Cozart Simon, a kind, gentle soul, reflective of your own Simon friend. "I check this area every day for humans, and I must say, you're the first we've had in a very long..."  
  
     "I'm so glad!!" You couldn't stop yourself from feeling overwhelmed with joy, standing, and running pretty happily towards the Simon head to wrap yourself around his torso.  
  
     "Hm?" He was a little caught off guard by your clinging, but you felt safe there, and it felt oddly alright to do what you did. He didn't seem to mind that you had your face pressed against his warm sweater, crying a bit dramatically repeating that you were happy. All he did was raise his hand to your head to pet your hair in comfort.  
  
     "There there, little one. You're safe now."


	3. The Ruins [Part 1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> * Welcome to the RUINS, innocent one.  
> * This is your home now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After way too long, Chapter 3 is finally here! I apologize for the long wait! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday.
> 
> I got to write for one of my favourite characters in this one, and he'll be in the next one and off and on throughout the rest of the story. He's terribly fun to write when he's messing with Tsuna. As the Ruins are kind of the 'tutorial' stage of the game, this chapter feels a little slow to me, and ended up being longer in length than the previous two chapters combined... Haha, whoopsie. Makes up for the missing month, right?
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, and the next one will hopefully be up by Friday of next week!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale or KHR.

          _"Come. I will guide you through the catacombs."_  
  
      You followed close to the tall male leading you through the rocky mountain underbelly. You didn't want to lose sight of him, but your surroundings were so different and intriguing that you couldn't help but start distracting yourself, slowing your steps a little each time you see something interesting. By the time you began jogging to catch up, you realized he was waiting for you anyway-- your company wasn't about to leave you behind.  
  
      Perhaps it was because of how lost and defenseless you looked, taken in like a stray kitten from a box; there was no way he could've known you, thanks to originally existing about a century ago, and even if this were some alternate dimension or some time skip, it wouldn't be possible. This man, to whom you were a stranger, was helpful and giving out of the kindness of his heart. The warm smile he presented every time you caught a look at his face filled you with a sense of security.  
  
      "Welcome to the Ruins, innocent one. This is your home now."  
  
      You felt your eyes widen this time, caught off guard by how easily he said those words. Did he misunderstand? You had a home to return to, way above ground, where your friends were waiting for you. You couldn't stay here. You wanted to say something now, but with how calm and... happy he looked, you couldn't bring the words forward.  
  
      "The Ruins are a little tricky to get through, so you'll have to watch closely as I teach you. Look here." Cozart's feet began to dance across some stones which emerged like bricks out of the ground, in a square pattern, leaving two blocks in the middle unpressed. The door, previously disguised within the mountain's rock as simply part of the wall, trembled greatly as it raised into the ceiling. You were amazed by how cleverly it was hidden, and how amazingly it worked-- was it futuristic technology? Were flames involved? Was it some kinda pulley system?  
  
      "What are the puzzles for?" Perhaps a dumb question, but you would've liked to know.  
  
      "Security reasons. All us monsters might be secluded down here, but you never know when something, or _someone_ dangerous might stumble by... or seek us out purposely." His tone delved into seriousness by the end of his sentence, but he didn't seem too fond of that. He brought up another smile meant to ease you of the worries that had begun to well up, given how fearful you first looked some minutes ago. "Ah, but no matter. Know that you are safe here. You haven't a thing to worry about."  
  
      You had a _lot_ to worry about. As the both of you entered through the wall, you couldn't _stop_ thinking about the bubbling questions continuing to multiply with every thought.  
  
      "What do you mean 'monsters'? You look pretty normal to me..."  
  
      "You haven't noticed? I'm not a human like you. I'm a goat!" He gave a firm nod, but you stopped walking. He looked absolutely nothing like a goat.  
  
      "R-right..." You weren't convinced, but you continued forward. "And, uh... H-how difficult do these puzzles get? I'm not the smartest, so I don't think I'd be able to solve them very easily..."  
  
      "Hm? You really think so?" His fingers had laced behind his head, resting against the band of his newsboy hat. "You should be a little nicer to yourself. These aren't too hard, you just gotta pay attention to the clues left on signs. They're helpful if you ever get lost and forget how to get back. I'll be with you from here all the way to the end though, so you don't need to worry about completing any puzzles on your own. I can tell you the answers."  
  
      "I'm so glad..." You felt relieved over that statement; you only really needed to pay attention to the hard ones, which may not be all too difficult.  
  
      "Here, I'll let you try this one." Looking around, you had finally noticed you entered a much longer room this time, with running water and ivy crawling up some of the walls. You were still amazed by seeing everything you didn't expect to see within the mountain's core.  
  
      A little ways ahead of you, Cozart crossed a small bridge, and stood at the foot of another.  
  
      "There's a switch on the wall. Can you flip if for me?" You followed his path then followed his directions, successfully pulling the switch. He had already walked to the next barrier by the time you were done. "Then this next one." This time, there were two switches present-- but the leftmost one had convenient arrows made out of chalk pointing to the correct one. Upon pulling that one, you felt a slight rumble travel through the ground, and watched as spikes withdrew from their position to sink within the ground behind Cozart's feet. "Nice!"  
  
      He continued onward, and you followed fast behind him, cautiously yet quickly leaping over the spike grates in fear of them rising again while you're on them.  
  
      In this next room, there were no puzzles. The only curious thing about it was a dummy, standing alone beside the open door. You briefly wondered if this was supposed to be some kind of guard, but with one look, you decided it's harmless.  
  
      "As a human living in the Underground, other monsters may attack you. You need to be prepared for that. But fret not! There's an easy way to do it. When you encounter a monster, you'll be in a fight. When you're in a fight, all you gotta do is strike up a friendly conversation. They don't really want to fight you, so if you talk to them until I get there, you'll be fine. Practice talking to this guy here." His thumb gestured toward the dummy you were just squinting at.  
  
      You thought it weird to talk to an inanimate object, and as you stepped closer you wondered what you could say that wouldn't sound too weird, considering you'd be talking to yourself.  
  
_But the dummy vibrated_. You blinked, shocked, and wondering if it was only your imagination, but it moved again, its head shaking as if it were an egg. And then--  
  
      "Ciaossu!" The head's blank face popped off in a puff of smoke to reveal the squished eyes, nose and mouth of the baby who had kicked you down here in the first place.  
  
      "Re-- Reborn!!"  
  
      "Keep quiet." You immediately shut your lips, and glanced over to Cozart, who still remained smiling by the door frame. Had he noticed your outburst? He didn't seem to be shocked, which could mean he thought that ' _reborn_ ' was simply what you wanted to shout. Despite your short deliberation over how not to sound weird, it looked like it happened anyway.  
  
      When you tried again, your voice was only a whisper.  
  
      "Reborn, what are you doing here? Did you fall in after me? I didn't see you though... Ah, do you have secret bases in here too? That means you know the way out, right? That's not so ba--!"  
  
      "I've never been here before."  
  
      "Ahh?! Reborn..!" If he'd never been here, then why on Earth would he kick you down here in the first place? Getting out wasn't going to be easy!  
  
      "Listen up, Tsuna." The baby's usual smile fell into a frown. "You can't stay here forever, so don't get any ideas. You have the Vongola to think about."  
  
      "I'm not going to--" _become the Vongola boss_ , you wanted to finish, but before you could say so the baby's face disappeared behind another puff of smoke. Your whispers sounded a little desperate, and barely passed as whispers anymore. "Reborn!!!"  
  
      "Everything alright?" The adult's gentle voice emitting from beside you caused you to turn your head.  
  
      "Ah.. Yeah, everything's fine."  
  
      "Good! Excellent job. Thank you for listening to me."  
  
      "N-no, it's nothing, really.." It almost felt like he were teaching you valuable life skills here. You had always been against conflict, and would much rather talk an enemy out of fighting with words instead of fists; down here would be no different.  
  
      "Well, c'mon then. You might find another monster in the next room, but you'll know what to do now." He carried on into the next room, leaving you to glance at the dummy once more, hoping with all your might that Reborn might pop up again, but your hoping was fruitless and you carried through after him.  
  
      You did indeed encounter another monster, looking an awful lot like a box animal with its uniqueness. Before Cozart had noticed, you did your best to talk to the creature and please it in whatever way you could. _"Y-you have.. nice.... eyes?"_ If only your compliment hadn't been so shaky, you might have succeeded. An icy glare from your generally-sweet company had scared the frog into backing away.  
  
      Further ahead stood your first real puzzle, a valley of spikes sprawling threateningly across the entire bridge. The hint on the wall had said the left room mapped out the right room, but no matter how often you ran between both rooms, you were stressing yourself out too much to properly solve it. You understood it, but remembering the whole pattern was much too difficult. By the time you started panting from exhaustion, you felt your hand being tugged as Cozart took it.  
  
      "On second thought, let me show you." He began to lead you across the bridge, stepping on the correct tiles as the harm shrunk beneath your feet. You realized that even if you hadn't seen the pattern in the other room, the spikes wouldn't have moved if they were the wrong ones, thus rendering the trap harmless. He meant to build your confidence, knowing that even if you failed you would have ultimately succeeded, even if you hadn't known it at the time. Of course, considering you still failed even after all the added help... You couldn't help but feel a little sullen. You wanted to say something about this trick, but not knowing whether or not it was something he wanted you to figure out, you kept your thoughts private.  
  
      You made it safely across and into the room over, which you crossed without any danger. It felt a bit out of place to have a sudden safe room, very long in length, one that would be sooner crossed if you had run.  
  
      "Alright. This is as far as you go, for now."  
  
      "Huh?" The pair of you stopped just by the entrance to the next room, beside a pillar placed at random near the wall.  
  
      "I have some business to take care of, so I must leave you alone for a little while. It's too dangerous for you to explore on your own, so please stay here." He looked at you with a gentle face, one that gave you confidence that remaining here wouldn't bring you any harm, but it was impossible not to feel a little weird about it. "I have an idea, though."  
  
      From his pocket he withdrew a cell phone. Your immediate question was _'How do they even get reception down here?!'_  
  
      "You can use this to call me if anything happens, alright? I'll give you a call to check up on you occasionally too. We might be apart, but we'll still be connected. Is that alright with you?"  
  
      "Um... Sure, I guess. Wouldn't it be okay if I just continued with you, though?"  
  
      "No. You will eventually, but this was business I needed to take care of before having anyone over. I do hope you'll forgive me." You couldn't really guess what that business was from what information he provided, but you took the cell from him anyway, and accepted his words. "I promise I won't take very long. Be good, okay?"  
  
      His hands cupped your shoulders and gave you a pat reassuringly. You had your qualms, but as long as you stayed put within this safe room, then nothing bad would come from it. You nodded, and watched him disappear through the door into the darkness.  
  
      You felt the natural cold of the mountain rock as you took a seat on the floor, leaning against the pillar with a sigh. You imagined what you could be doing right now, like playing a video game, or eating some of Mom's cooking, even hanging out with your friends. The feelings attached to these memories left a hollow ache in your chest as you began to miss them, the thought of never enjoying them again making you awfully lonely. The solid mountain had swallowed you up, the echo of the friendly words _'this is your home now'_ resounding through your mind like a dagger. Home wasn't here in this secluded mountain underside. Home was above ground, with everyone you loved, and not some mysterious copies of people out of your memories.  
  
      "Is there really no way of getting home from here...?" You felt your lip quiver as you spoke to yourself, as if saying your fear aloud confirmed it. All you had to do was find Reborn again, enter your Hyper Dying Will Mode, and fly yourself back to safety, right? Even without Reborn, maybe you could draw those flames from within yourself if you tried hard enough.  
  
      But you couldn't be sure of yourself. Your confidence was wavering, and the comforting thought of returning home was fading faster and faster away. Your arms curled around your knees as you brought them to your chest, burying your head against them to wallow in your misery.  
  
      "Of course there's a way out of here, No-Good Tsuna."  
  
      "Eh?" Your head perked up at the familiar voice, but a glance left and right confirmed that there was no one in the room. Were you hearing things?  
  
      "Reborn...?" You were about to get up to explore the room a little more thoroughly, but a sudden weight dropped sharp into the crown of your head before you could. " _\--Gah!!_ "  
  
      That same small shoe that kicked you down before had hit you again, forcing your forehead to collide with your kneecaps. Reborn had been the culprit, presumably jumping from the top of the pillar behind your back. He leaped from your head to stand in front of you, and as you raised your face, tears sprung to your eyes.  
  
      "That hurt, you know!?" The skin felt tender as you rubbed it with your right hand, but as usual, Reborn could care less about the pain he caused you.  
  
      "I told you already you won't be staying here, didn't I? That means there's a way out."  
  
      "I know! All we have to do is go back the other way, right? Just shoot me with a Hyper Dying Will bullet. I'll call Cozart and tell him I'm leaving, and then we can get outta here in time for dinner."  
   
      "Not so fast."  
  
      "Ehh?" He lifted his eyes to meet yours, displaying that usual happy face of his. You felt nothing but dread creep through you as you guessed what kind of sick adventure he'd have in mind for you this time.  
  
      "You're going to go all the way through this mountain and come out the other side. Besides, if you go back the other way, Byakuran will be waiting for you. You don't want to face him right now."  
  
      _That's right._  
  
      Byakuran was a terrifying foe, in this world and others. You may have defeated him once before, but this time you were alone, and you weren't too sure how similar _this_ Byakuran was to _that_ one.  
  
      "Mm... But, you said you've never been down here, right? How do you know for sure?"  
  
      "Do you really not remember, Tsuna?"  
   
      "Remember what?" You didn't remember forgetting something.  
  
      "Never mind. You'll figure it out as time goes on. First things first, we gotta get out of these Ruins. Let's go, Tsuna." Before you even had the chance to protest, the Arcobaleno had already begun his walk to the next room.  
  
      "W-Wait, wait! Cozart said not to leave here..."  
  
      "Are you fine with waiting here by yourself instead? Byakuran could wake up any moment and catch up with you."  
  
      You didn't like disobeying Cozart's orders after the boundless kindness he'd shown you, but you couldn't just stay here, either. Clutching the cell phone within your palm, you pushed off the floor, and followed Reborn into the unknown.


End file.
